When you talk about athletes in any sport, one of the terms you hear is that a player has a “high ceiling” – meaning, of course, that they can develop into something huge.
But sometimes, it’s great to have a guy with a “high floor,” someone reliable who may not develop too more but can be a player you can count on to succeed and know what you’re going to get.
Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard told the Sports Junkies Friday that Johnny Davis, although not a point guard and thus a “need,” was a player that “excited” the team – and later in the day, NBC Sports Washington’s Chase Hughes echoed that on BMitch and Finlay by calling Davis a “high floor” guy.
“I was among the people who thought they could swing for the fences with this pick, because they’ve taken a lot more players with high floors over the years,” Hughes said. “The question for Johnny Davis would be his ceiling, but I think if he can become a good three-point shooter, maybe he can prove a lot of people wrong.”
And if not? Well, Davis could still be an effective player on day one, and years from now.
“Certainly this does seem like a high-floor plug-and-play type guy where he can take a rotation spot immediately,” Hughes said. “Maybe he doesn’t have the same chance to be a star four or five years from now, but you’re pretty certain that he’ll be pretty good.”
Given that the Wizards have Kristaps Porzingis, hope to retain Bradley Beal, and have those other types of developing first-rounders in Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija, and Corey Kispert, a plug-and-play rotation filler could be exactly what they need – especially if they can find a strong point guard.
The franchise hasn’t had a Rookie of the Year in over 50 years, since Earl Monroe and Wes Unseld went back-to-back for the then-Baltimore Bullets in 1968 and 1969, so perhaps plug-and-play helps there?
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN